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Hawaiian monk seal ‘Eleu
News Update

‘Eleu Named Favorite Marine Mammal Patient of 2021!

January 21, 2022

Thanks to caring people like you, more than 380 marine mammals were rescued in 2021. Now it’s time to recognize some of the most memorable patient stories.

Voting for Patient of the Year for 2021 is now closed.


Here's how you voted:

‘Eleu, Hawaiian Monk Seal

24%

Spinny, Southern Sea Otter 22%
Meringue, Pacific Harbor Seal 15%
Flappy, Northern Fur Seal 13%
Snippet, Guadalupe Fur Seal 8%
Katz, California Sea Lion 6%



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Adopt Your Favorite!

Want to show your favorite patients even more love? Each one of our Patient of the Year nominees is available as a digitally downloadable Adopt-a-Seal®! Your symbolic adoption comes with a certificate featuring the patient’s photo and story, and proceeds support life-saving care for the next sick or injured animal.

Thank you for giving our marine mammal patients a second chance at life -- none of this would be possible without you!

Katz - California Sea Lion

Rescued: July 15, 2021
Released: August 31, 2021
Diagnosis: Malnutrition, abnormal behavior, pneumonia

California sea lion Katz was discovered on the beach not behaving like a healthy young sea lion should. Fortunately, a kindhearted beachgoer called our hotline, and a team of expert responders was dispatched to Katz’s location. After carefully assessing the scene, our responders determined that Katz was in dire need of medical care and rescued her. After arriving at our hospital, Katz began experiencing tremors and displaying other signs that concerned our veterinarians. She was also malnourished and suffering from pneumonia. Katz was prescribed with a treatment regimen unique to her needs, which included plenty of nutritious fish meals and medications. In no time, Katz began to heal and regain the feisty demeanor typical for a wild sea lion like her. After nearly seven weeks of care, Katz was released back to the wild alongside other rehabilitated marine mammals.

California sea lion Katz

Mizuna - Northern Elephant Seal

Rescued: July 5, 2021
Released: August 31, 2021
Diagnosis: Malnutrition, otostrongyliasis, trauma

Northern elephant seal Mizuna was just months old when she was found helpless on the beach with six stingray barbs lodged in her face. Suffering from a nasty infection and malnutrition, Mizuna’s life was at stake. Fortunately, she was brought to our hospital for medical care. Some of the barbs were removed soon after Mizuna was admitted, but the remaining ones were deeply embedded and required additional procedures. After multiple surgeries, the final piece was removed, and Mizuna was barb-free. As she regained her strength, Mizuna was housed with a harbor seal pup named Beebop. The pair proved to be a good match as Mizuna and Beebop competed well with each other for food—a vital skill the two pups would need to learn to survive in the wild. After almost two months of care, Mizuna received a clean bill of health and was released back to her ocean home with a second chance.

elephant seal Mizuna

Flappy - Northern Fur Seal

Rescued: October 6, 2021
Released: December 16, 2021
Diagnosis: Malnutrition, maternal separation

Northern fur seal pup Flappy was only 4 months old when she was found weak, malnourished and with her mother nowhere in sight. Northern fur seals like Flappy spend most of their lives in the open ocean and rarely come to shore except for when they are sick or injured. Thankfully, Flappy was safely transported to our hospital. Weighing about 14 pounds upon admit (that’s barely more than what she would have weighed at birth!), Flappy was in desperate need of care. At first, she was housed in our Intensive Care Unit, an area meant for our most vulnerable patients with special features like heated floors. Once Flappy regained some of her strength, she moved to a housing area with a pool where she was able to swim and practice catching whole fish on her own. It wasn’t long before Flappy had transformed from a skinny pup to a fur seal ready for a second chance at life in her ocean home.

northern fur seal Flappy

Meringue - Pacific Harbor Seal

Rescued: February 22, 2021
Released: May 13, 2021
Diagnosis: Maternal separation, malnutrition

Harbor seal pup Meringue was spotted alone, but because there were adult seals nearby, our expert responders determined the best course of action was to wait and see if his mother would return, as harbor seal mothers often do. Unfortunately, Meringue was picked up the next day by a well-meaning beachgoer who had likely mistaken him for an orphan. Luckily the pup was soon brought to our hospital for care. Upon admit, Meringue was sporting a fluffy lanugo coat, which is normally shed before birth, and was very skinny—clear signs he was a premature pup that was just days old. At first, Meringue was gently tube-fed a special milk formula, but it wasn’t long before he was attending lessons in fish school where he learned how to catch and eat whole fish. Meringue ate like a champion and after nearly three months of care, he was ready to be released back to the wild.

harbor seal Meringue

Snippet - Guadalupe Fur Seal

Rescued: April 7, 2021
Released: July 1, 2021
Diagnosis: Anemia, malnutrition

Guadalupe fur seal pup Snippet was spotted on a beach looking extremely underweight and lethargic. She was brought to our hospital where our veterinarians discovered she weighed just 14 pounds—barely over birth weight—despite being about 10 months old. Along with malnutrition, Snippet was diagnosed with anemia, which is a condition marked by a lack of red blood cells. At first, Snippet was gently tube-fed “fish smoothies” to help her get the nutrition she needed before she transitioned to whole fish. She soon began to steadily gain weight and interact with her pen-mates. In true Guadalupe fur seal fashion, Snippet was stubborn and would often refuse the frozen herring, anchovy and squid she was offered at mealtimes. However, she was observed chasing and eating the live fish our animal care experts provided. After nearly three months of care, Snippet had gained a healthy amount of weight and her anemia resolved. She was deemed ready for life back in the wild and was released back to her ocean home.

Guadalupe fur seal Snippet

‘Eleu – Hawaiian Monk Seal

Rescued: June 17, 2021
Released: September 18, 2021
Diagnosis: Malnutrition

Hawaiian monk seal ‘Eleu (pronounced eh-leh-oo) was rescued in the nick of time. After separating from her mother too soon, she had nearly zero chance of survival. With only about 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals left in the wild, it was crucial that this pup was brought to our hospital on Hawai‘i Island. Despite being malnourished upon arrival, ‘Eleu was active, curious and vocal—promising signs that she would recover. During her three months of care, ‘Eleu would spend hours at a time engaging with enrichment items, which are specialized “toys” that encourage patients to develop natural behaviors. She also practiced her foraging skills with live prey like fish and sea cucumbers. Just before release, ‘Eleu was fitted with a temporary satellite tag that would allow scientists to monitor her in the wild. This information helps us better understand how to protect this endangered species. Upon release, ‘Eleu immediately made her way toward her ocean home and was later seen interacting with other monk seals around her age.

Hawaiian monk seal ʻEleu

Spinny - Southern Sea Otter

Rescued: August 28, 2021
Released: November 10, 2021
Diagnosis: Trauma, anemia, enteropathy, hypoglycemia

Southern sea otter Spinny was brought to our hospital for rehabilitative care after being found exhausted and suffering from shark bite wounds. Spinny’s injuries prevented him from grooming properly, which is an important behavior in the wild because a sea otter’s only defense against chilly ocean water is its thick fur. Needing hands-on care, Spinny was housed in our sea otter tote, an area specially designed for our most vulnerable sea otter patients. In fact, he was the first patient to use this tote as part of a treatment regimen. From the air temperature to the water level, the tote can be customized for a patient’s needs—perfect for a sea otter like Spinny that couldn’t stay warm! As Spinny started to heal, he was moved to a deeper pool so he could get more exercise and regain his strength. After nearly three months of care, Spinny was released back to the wild with a second chance at life.

southern sea otter Spinny

Patient images © The Marine Mammal Center / NOAA permit #18786 / USFWS permit MA101713-1

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Yes, I want to save a life!

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